Rep. Speier asks Craigslist to delete adult services section

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, on Thursday asked Craigslist to take down its controversial adult services section, which critics say is used to advertise illegal sex with underage girls.

“I strongly urge you to eliminate this section from your Web site,” Speier said in a letter addressed to Craigslist Chief Executive Officer Jim Buckmaster. “Now is a time to set a renewed example of zero tolerance and 100 percent vigilance.”

Speier also said she will ask U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello to help San Francisco’s Craigslist in “identifying additional methods that you may use to avoid the facilitation of prostitution and human trafficking.”

And Speier also said she was calling the House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on “how Web sites such as yours and others are being used to facilitate criminal activity.”

Buckmaster was not immediately available for comment. A company spokeswoman said the firm was preparing a statement.

Buckmaster has previously responded to similar criticism of the site by saying the online classifieds giant is already taking active steps to manually screen adult services ads for child prostitution and that it continues to help law enforcement efforts to combat these “utterly despicable and horrendous crimes.”

In the letter and in a phone interview, Speier said she was disturbed after seeing a half-page ad in the May 19 edition of The Chronicle and a follow up story that ran the next day.

The ad, purchased by the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, the Washington, D.C., described the experiences of two teenage prostitutes who claimed Craigslist was used to recruit their customers.

Speier said she was further troubled by the results of a study by the Schapiro Group, an independent research firm in Atlanta, that found about 47 percent of the Atlanta-area men who responded to an ad placed in Craiglist’s adult services section were willing to go through with a transaction even after learning the girls involved were minors.

Speier said she watched as her staff clicked through the adult services section and found such ads, including photos depicting young women.

“It made me sick to my stomach,” Speier said. “It cannot be allowed to stand. I’m appealing to Mr. Buckmaster, who obviously is interested in wanting to make sure the company he is leading is not facilitating criminal activity.”

Speier said she hopes Craigslist removes the site voluntarily before any Congressional hearing so “we can save a few lives in the interim.”

UPDATE: Buckmaster replied to Speier Thursday night, saying he was willing to discuss her concerns with her.

“I’m confident you will soon realize shutting down portions of Craigslist is no answer, and in fact would be a big step in the wrong direction with respect to the very issues you have raised,” Buckmaster wrote.

“Trafficking and child exploitation are despicable, and while exceedingly rare on Craigslist, any ad facilitating crime is utterly unacceptable, and we work tirelessly with law enforcement to ensure any such victim receives the assistance they deserve and anyone responsible is prosecuted.”

“With 50 million Americans engaging in billions of human interactions each month, the overwhelming majority of which are well-intentioned, the incidence of crime on Craigslist is exceptionally low. However, our tolerance for crime is zero, and we welcome suggestions from US Attorney Russoneillo, and any other concerned party, for further preventing misuse.”